Persuasion
by Kara1626
Summary: Abby uses her powers of persuasion to get Tony to let her do something they will both soon regret. But no one really knows how much until something goes terribly wrong. WARNING: Contains spanking of adults.
1. Chapter 1

**WARNING: Contains spanking of an adult.**

**Disclaimer: The characters aren't mine. I just borrow them.**

* * *

"All right. What have we got?" Gibbs asked as he swept into the squad room, coffee in hand.

Tim picked up the remote and clicked the vital statistics of their newest case onto the plasma. "Dana Michelle Jack, 6-year-old daughter of Captain Stephen Jack…"

"Captain Jack? As in Captain Jack Sparr…Ow!" Tony rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry Boss."

"McGee!" Gibbs yelled.

"Uh, she's been missing since yesterday afternoon. She and her twin brother, Kevin, got off the bus after school. According to Mrs. Jack, Kevin ran ahead up the street to the house but Dana never arrived." Tim clicked again. "A neighbor reported seeing this SUV drive up the street three times yesterday."

"Where'd we get this picture?" Gibbs asked.

"Well, when the neighbor called the cops to report it the second time, they pretty much hung up on her," Tony explained, reading from the file in his hand. "So when it came by the third time, she snapped a picture. Too bad she didn't actually get a picture of the plate," he said glumly. "According to the neighbor, the first two times it drove up the street, it was going really slow. The third time, when this picture was taken, it was driving a lot faster"

"McGee, I want surveillance tapes from every store, bank, whatever in the area. DiNozzo, David, you're with me."

* * * * *

"Hey Abbs." Tony dropped a box of evidence on the counter. "What are you doing?"

"Hi Tony. I was just looking at the picture of the SUV the old lady took. Take a look at this." She put the picture on the plasma and zoomed in on one of the back doors.

"What am I looking at?" Tony asked, squinting at the screen.

"You don't see it? Look, right here." She walked over to the plasma and pointed at a mark on the door.

"Can you zoom in any closer?"

"No, the resolution sucks on this thing. Besides, I thought you had superhuman eyesight. Look! Right there. I think it's a sticker."

"A sticker?" Tony twisted his body so that he was looking at the plasma upside down.

"DiNozzo! What are you doing?"

"Oh hey Boss," Tony said, standing upright quickly. "Whoa!" He'd made himself dizzy.

"Gibbs, look at this!" Abby called from her spot in front of the plasma. "There's a sticker on the door of the SUV. I'm pretty sure it's a flower, but I can't get a better look at it."

"Zoom out, Abbs."

A click and picture expanded. Gibbs studied it for a moment. "Zoom in here," he said, pointing. Another click. "Look at that scratch on the back panel."

"I'll get a BOLO out on a dark SUV with tinted windows, a flower sticker on the back door and a double scratch across the back panel." Tony disappeared. Gibbs gave Abby a kiss on the cheek and followed him.

* * * * *

"McGee, tell me you have something."

"Oh, um, yeah. I got tapes from three gas stations, a jewelry store, two banks, a convenience store and one traffic cam. I mapped them based on the time stamps and…" he glanced at his boss and received an impatient look. He stood up and clicked at the plasma revealing the map. "They went west, then north. I printed maps of a couple of places they could be headed." He held out the maps.

Gibbs took the maps and hurried away. "Keep looking, McGee. And update DiNozzo and me when you get anything new," he called over his shoulder.

"DiNozzo," he yelled over the music in Abby's lab.

"Hey Boss, we just finished going through the evidence. There's not much here."

"McGee mapped the SUV from the tapes we got. I left Ziva at the Jack's so you and I are on the chase. Here," he handed Tony one of the maps, "call me when you get there. McGee is going to keep looking and he'll update us as he gets new information."

"Can I go with you?" Abby asked. Gibbs swung around and stared at her. "I don't have anything else to do. We went through everything from the crime scene and there's nothing there."

"Help McGee," Gibbs ordered as he walked toward the door.

"McGee doesn't need my help. Gibbs, I can't just sit here and do nothing when there's a little girl missing!"

"No. DiNozzo, let's go," Gibbs ordered and headed for the elevator.

"Boss, I'm gonna hit the head before I leave." Gibbs nodded as the elevator doors closed.

Abby turned on him. "Tony, take me with you, please!"

"No way, Abbs."

"You just want me to sit here and do nothing while every one else is working on the case?" she whined.

"Abby, you heard Gibbs," Tony argued.

"He'll never know. I'll be really quiet when you're on the phone with him." Tony shook his head. "Tony, please," she said quietly.

He looked at her for a moment then sighed. "Fine. You can come. But keep quiet, and do everything I tell you to do. Got it?"

"Got it!" she answered excitedly.

It wasn't until they were twenty minutes away from NCIS that Tony allowed himself to think about what Gibbs would do if he found out Abby was with him.

* * * * *

Tony steered the car up the dirt road toward the cabin McGee had marked on his map while he talked on the phone. "I'm there…yeah, I'm driving up to it now…ok, I will…Abby? No, why?...I don't know, maybe she went out to run some errands or something…ok…I'll let you know if I find anything."

He looked at his passenger. "Gibbs is looking for…" her phone rang.

"Hi Gibbs!" she answered cheerfully. "Me? Oh, I'm just out running some errands. I didn't have anything to do so I thought…ok…see you later." She hung up and looked at Tony. "Think he knows?"

Tony shrugged. "I just hope he doesn't ask McGee to track your phone. Ok," he said as he put the car in park. "Stay here. I'll be right back."

"By myself?! I can't stay here by myself. What if they're here?" Abby cried.

Tony considered that for a moment. "Fine, but you stay right behind me and if I tell you to run, you run." She nodded solemnly and they got out of the car to walk up the road toward the cabin.

Tony crept along, looking in every direction at once. Abby kept her eyes on the ground, partly to follow the tire tracks she saw, and partly to avoid tripping on a rock or a root. They moved so slowly, that it took them about five minutes to reach the cabin. Tony pointed to a tree at the edge of the clearing and silently instructed Abby to take cover behind it until he cleared the building. She slipped behind it and, after checking that she was well-hidden, he moved toward the porch, weapon drawn.

He snuck onto the porch and peered in the window. The cabin was apparently made up of a single room that was completely empty. Tony looked back at the tree to make sure Abby was still hidden, then eased open the front door and went inside. After checking every corner of the room and for loose floorboards that might lead to a hidden basement, he pulled his phone off his belt and called Gibbs.

"Hey Boss, nothing here…he did? Ok, I'll head there next." He closed the door behind him and stepped off the porch. "Abby, let's go," he called toward the tree. "Abby?" He took off on a run toward the tree. "Abby!!" She was gone. But there on the ground, a few feet from the tree, was her scarf. "ABBY!!!!"

Tony ran through the woods shouting for Abby. He found a button that he recognized from her poncho and one of her hair ribbons as he ran. He made it to a clearing just in time to see a dark SUV with tinted windows peeling away in a cloud of dust.

He bent over to catch his breath for a few seconds, his mind racing. Knowing that putting it off would only increase the danger Abby was now in, he grabbed his phone to make the hardest phone call he would ever have to make. As he waited for Gibbs to pick up, he also realized it was probably the last time he would ever call his boss.


	2. Chapter 2

With the exception of barking a couple of orders that were impractical to relay through Tim, Gibbs had not spoken to Tony in almost two days. Abby and Dana were still missing and the leads were quickly drying up. Even in his panic, Tony had managed to catch the first two numbers on the license plate of the SUV and had been tracing vehicles for Gibbs, Tim and Ziva to track down. He hadn't left his desk for anything other than trips to the head since he'd gotten back to headquarters the other evening. He hadn't slept and he hadn't eaten. The only reason he'd had to use the bathroom was because he was downing coffee as if he and Gibbs were in some sort of contest to see who could drink more.

"Ok, thank you!" Tim hung up his phone and jumped out of his seat. "Boss, I think we've got something." Gibbs looked up from his computer screen. "A dark SUV with a flower sticker on the door is at a gas station in Glenn Dale, MD off 450. The owner of the store called it in and LEO's are on their way."

"Let's go!" Gibbs yelled, grabbing his badge and his gun from his desk. Tony stood up and opened his drawer too. "Sit down!" he ordered.

"Boss, please…"

"McGee, Ziva, move!" Gibbs shouted, ignoring Tony's plea.

"McGee," Tony said as Tim passed his desk, "call me as soon as you know something." Tim nodded and gave Tony a sympathetic look.

Once they were gone, all Tony could do was sit at his desk and wait.

* * * * *

"Tony, we've got them," Tim said into his phone. "They're safe."

Tony sat back in his chair and let out a long breath. "Oh thank God. Are they ok?"

"Dana's on the way to the hospital but Abby refused to go. Gibbs just called Ducky to come check her out. I've got to go."

"Ok, call me later," Tony said hurriedly into the phone before it went dead.

* * * * *

"Was that DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked.

"He asked me to call him if we found anything," Tim answered, a little nervously.

Gibbs nodded and turned back to Abby. She was wrapped in a blanket, but still shivering. Her face and arms were scratched up from her rapid trip through the woods, but other than that, Gibbs had not found any other injuries. But she was burning up. Ducky arrived and quickly confirmed that she was running a fever.

"How are you feeling, my dear?" he asked as he felt her glands and checked her eyes.

"Tired. And my head hurts so bad," she said weakly. Ducky fussed over her for a few more minutes before he stepped back.

Immediately, Gibbs took his place. "What happened, Abby?" he asked, the worry still clearly evident all over his face.

"Chloroform."

"What?"

"They knocked me out with Chloroform," she repeated, sounding very weak.

He looked her over again, then finally relaxed and softened a bit. "Let's get you home," he said quietly.

* * * * *

Tony burst in the front door and looked wildly around the house for just a second before he made a dash for the steps.

"Tony!" Gibbs yelled from the kitchen. Tony stopped dead in his tracks and slowly backed down the stairs. He stood in the doorway of the kitchen, panting slightly – partly from the effort of getting into the house and to the stairs and partly from the fear that suddenly gripped him.

"She's asleep. Ducky gave her something," Gibbs said quietly. He sat at the table with a cup of coffee and studied Tony's face, his own set hard in anger. It was the anger Tony had seen just below the surface of fear for the last two days. Now though, the fear was gone. Abby was safe.

"I need to see her," Tony whispered. It was only then that Gibbs softened enough to see the sheer panic and fear in Tony's eyes. He nodded and Tony turned away. But before he went upstairs, he returned. "Boss…" he said, his voice shaking just a bit.

"I know," Gibbs answered. "Later."

Tony went upstairs and slipped into the guest room. Abby was curled up fast asleep, her arm draped off the bed. He stood in the door and looked at her for a long time as a lump formed in his throat. After a while, he moved to the bed and lowered himself next to her. He gently put his hand on her forehead, not sure what he was feeling for, but remembering his nanny doing that whenever he was sick. Her head was damp and warm. After a while, he stood up, walked across the room and settled into the overstuffed armchair in the corner where he could keep vigil.

He woke with a start and looked around the room. It took him a second to figure out where he was, but as soon as he did, he remembered why he was there. He sat up and then realized that sometime in the night, someone had covered him with a blanket. Looking toward the bed, he saw Abby, still asleep. The faint smell of coffee told him that their boss was awake. Or was he _still_ awake? Tony stood and stretched quietly, his body protesting the unknown hours spent slumped in a chair instead of stretched on a bed. After a quick trip to the bathroom, he made his way tentatively down the stairs.

Gibbs was sitting in the same chair at the table he'd been in the night before, with the same coffee cup in front of him. He was wearing different clothes, so Tony knew he hadn't spent the night there. The newspaper sat next to him, unopened. When he heard Tony on the stairs, Gibbs looked up. Tony had made it as far as the doorway and stopped. After a few tense, silent moments, Gibbs pushed the chair next to him out from the table with his foot and nodded toward the coffee maker – a clear invitation.

Once Tony had poured himself some coffee, he lowered himself into the offered chair with a groan. His body _really_ did not like where he had spent the night. A tiny, quick grin flitted across Gibbs' face before it disappeared again. The two men sat and drank in silence for a long time before Tony worked up the courage to look Gibbs in the eye. When he did, he saw that the anger had faded, replaced now with deep disappointment.

"When you're ready," Gibbs prompted quietly.

Tony stared into his coffee for a while, gathering his thoughts. Without looking up, he began in a quiet, slightly shaky voice. "She begged me to come along. She said she was bored and that she felt useless. So I let her come. I told her that she had to do everything I told her to do and she did. When we got to the cabin, we left the car at the bottom of the hill so we wouldn't alert anyone that we were coming. We hiked up to the cabin and I told her to hide behind this big tree, just in case. I cleared the cabin and when I came out, she was gone." He swallowed hard to steady his voice. "I chased them through the woods, but they were driving away by the time I got to them."

Gibbs stood up to get yet another cup of coffee. "Go take a shower," he ordered quietly. "Your bag is in the entry."

Tony looked into the hall. Gibbs must have gotten it out of his car at some point in the night. He slowly pushed away from the table and stood up. "What are you going to do?" he asked, in barely a whisper.

Gibbs put his cup down forcefully on the counter and whirled around to face Tony. "What am I going to do?" he shouted, the anger quickly returning. "I'm going to take the strap to you. What did you _think_ I would do?"

Tony nodded fearfully and backed out of the kitchen. He picked up his bag and went slowly upstairs to the bathroom. Once inside, he leaned against the sink and studied his face in the mirror, replaying the events that had led to this moment. The only conclusion he was able to come to by the time he stepped into the shower was that he wasn't sure who was in more trouble – him or Abby.


	3. Chapter 3

When he could stall no longer, Tony turned off the water, dried off and got dressed. He hung his towel on the back of the door and opened it. Across the hall, the door of the guest room was open and he heard voices. Abby was awake. Not able to stay away, he poked his head in the door. Gibbs sat on the bed next to her while she nibbled on a piece of toast. Her face brightened when she saw Tony.

"Tony! Are you ok?" she asked, prompting Gibbs to turn around.

Tony smiled sadly at her. "Yeah, I'm ok. How are you feeling?"

She shrugged and glanced at Gibbs. "A little tired still." Tony walked into the room and settled himself in the chair in which he'd spent the night. "But I'm ok," she assured him once she saw the worry on his face.

Gibbs stood up. "Finish all of that," he said to Abby, pointing to the tray of food next to her on the bed. He turned to Tony. "I want you downstairs in ten minutes." And then he left.

Tony and Abby watched him leave and waited until they were sure he was all the way downstairs before Tony stood up and took the seat their boss had abandoned. "Did he ask you what happened?" he asked.

She shook her head. "You?" Tony nodded. "I'm so sorry, Tony. I never should have made you take me."

"You didn't _make_ me do anything. I knew what we were risking. Well, I knew what we were risking from Gibbs. I never thought anything would happen to you." He looked at her tenderly. "I put you in danger, Abbs. I'm sorry."

"It's ok."

"So, what happened?" he asked, reaching over to help himself to a piece of toast.

Abby took a sip of juice. "I was standing behind the tree like you told me to. I never heard him come up behind me, but he put a rag across my nose and mouth. The next thing I knew, I was lying in a puddle in a basement somewhere. Dana was lying on the floor across from me and she was so cold. My phone was gone, so I couldn't call anyone. The room had a window up by the ceiling, but it had bars on the outside. I kept trying to think of a way out, but I couldn't come up with anything. I thought I could grab Dana and escape when they came to give us food, but they never came." She stopped and looked at him. "I did everything I could to keep Dana warm and awake until Gibbs came and got us. Do you know how smart and brave she is? She put that sticker on the door on purpose. She'd been wearing it on her dress and when he grabbed her, she pulled it off and put it on the door."

"So what happened to her?" Tony asked, almost afraid of the answer.

"Ducky says she's malnourished and dehydrated, but she's going to be fine," Abby answered.

"Who were the men? I saw three of them in the SUV," Tony asked. He reached for the last piece of toast, having recently realized that he was starving. Abby grinned at him and pushed two pieces of bacon across the plate toward him.

"Gibbs didn't tell you?" she asked around a mouthful of eggs.

"We haven't…really talked," he admitted sadly.

"I heard him yell at you," she said. "He woke me up." Tony nodded. "What did he say?"

"Oh, not much. He was just telling me how unhappy he is about the fact that I took you with me."

Abby put her hand gently on his for a moment. "The head guy had been discharged and jailed when Capt. Jack had him court-martialed for selling drugs. He kidnapped Dana to get back at him. The other two guys were just the thugs who did his dirty work," she explained.

They sat quietly for a moment before Abby spoke again. "What do you think he's going to do to us?"

Tony shrugged. "I already know what he has planned for me. I don't know what he's going to do to you. But I wouldn't worry about it right now. If he's going to punish you, he won't do it until you're feeling better. Ducky would kill him otherwise."

Abby laughed, "If? I don't think there's any 'if' about it."

"I was just trying to make you feel better," Tony said with a grin.

Before Abby could answer, Gibbs shouted up the stairs, "Tony! Get down here!"

Abby squeezed Tony's hand. "I really am sorry." Tony kissed her forehead and went downstairs to face his fate.

Not wanting to keep his boss waiting any longer, Tony hurried down the stairs, but came to a skidding halt as he entered the kitchen. Ducky stood in the middle of the kitchen gripping his kit. But it was the object on the table the made Tony's heart flutter. It had been a while since he'd seen the strap, and for some reason, it looked even more menacing than he'd remembered.

"I'm going to go check on our patient," Ducky said, excusing himself quickly. As he passed Tony, he patted him gently on the arm.

As soon as Ducky had left the room, Gibbs picked up the strap. "Let's go," he ordered. But instead of going toward the basement steps as Tony had expected, he walked toward the back door.

"Where are we going?" Tony asked nervously. Gibbs didn't answer and Tony had no choice but to follow. They walked across the back yard and Tony finally figured it out. A moment later, Gibbs was holding open the door of the shed and waiting for Tony to catch up.

"Abby needs to rest," he explained in response to Tony's unvoiced question.

* * * * *

"How are you feeling, Abby?" Ducky asked as he let himself into the guest room. "I see you've eaten. Good girl." He rested his hand on her forehead. "Your fever seems to be gone as well. Whatever is wrong?" he asked in alarm when he finally looked Abby in the eye.

"What's Gibbs going to do to Tony?" she asked, tears brimming her eyes.

"Now, now, don't upset yourself. Jethro isn't going to kill him," he said kindly. "He's just taking him out back to the shed. Now open up and let me take a look at that throat."

* * * * *

Gibbs closed the door and turned to face Tony, who he found standing nervously, looking around. Sunlight streamed in the window near the roof. "Only _you_ would have an actual woodshed, Boss," Tony said, allowing some amusement into his voice.

Gibbs shrugged. "You didn't know what was in here when you and Kate painted it?"

"I looked in the window that day, but it was too dark to really see anything," Tony explained. He suddenly realized that the bizarre conversation was actually having a calming effect on him. The two men regarded each other for a moment before Tony looked away. "I'm guessing…" he trailed off as he unbuttoned his jeans. Gibbs nodded. Tony turned around and pushed his jeans down to his knees. He looked over his shoulder and Gibbs nodded again. He turned back around, took a deep breath and pushed his boxers down as well.

He bent over and put his hands on the top of the low woodpile in front of him, making his t-shirt ride up just above his now naked backside. Gibbs moved next to him and put his hand on Tony's back. He sensed Gibbs hesitating and twisted around to look at him. He met the older man's eyes holding his gaze for a moment. "We deserve it," he said quietly.

"Yeah," Gibbs agreed with a sad smile. "You do." Tony turned around and gritted his teeth in anticipation. Gibbs raised the strap and brought it down hard against the rear end in front of him.

By the time he found his stride, he knew he'd made the right decision in bringing Tony out to the shed for this spanking. Tony cried out with each lash of the strap and soon dissolved into noisy sobs. He worried for a moment that the neighbors might call the cops, but since it was mid-morning on a Thursday, most people were at work anyway. And once he told the cops what Tony had done to deserve what he was crying about, the cops would probably agree with him. Besides, Tony would never press charges over a punishment.

Tony was sure the spanking would never end. He was also sure that he would never sit down again. Never. He now knew why Gibbs so rarely brought out the strap. Yes, the paddle and even his belt hurt a lot in those practiced hands, but they were _nothing_ compared to the pain he was experiencing at that moment. Spankings given with one of the other implements hurt, but they left part of Tony's brain free to think about what he had done. Suddenly, through the fog of pain, Tony understood the difference between discipline and punishment. The strap was pure punishment and all he could really think about was how much he wanted the earth to open up and swallow him.

All good things must come to an end, and so, mercifully, must all bad things. Gibbs placed the strap on the woodpile next to Tony and gently rubbed his back as he sobbed into his arms. It took a long time for Tony to get himself under control, but Gibbs stayed next to him, his hand gently on his back offering support. And forgiveness. Eventually, Tony pushed himself up and Gibbs backed away to let him dress.

Ten minutes later, Gibbs sat on top of the woodpile while Tony leaned against the wall – which he had checked for spiders first. They talked quietly about the case. Tony's voice was hoarse from crying, but his tears had dried, and the redness had left his face. His backside throbbed with each heartbeat and Tony didn't even bother trying to rub away the pain. He knew it wouldn't work.

"You ready to go back in the house?" Gibbs asked a few times throughout the conversation. Each time, Tony shook his head and they kept talking.

"Boss," Tony said after a short lull in the conversation, "you're not going to do that to Abby too, are you?" He looked at the strap on the woodpile, then back at Gibbs.

"No," Gibbs said, shaking his head, "I would never use that on her. But," he continued, "she's going to pay for what she did, just like you had to." He looked at Tony and saw the deep concern on his face. "Like you said, she deserves it." Tony nodded miserably.

Gibbs pushed himself off the woodpile and picked up the strap. "You need to eat, and you need to sleep. Come on." He walked to the door and pushed it open. Tony squinted into the sudden light streaming in the door and followed. As they walked across the yard back to the house, Gibbs put his arm around Tony's shoulder then ruffled the back of his hair. "You ok?"

Tony looked over at him. "Do you forgive me?" Gibbs nodded and Tony relaxed. "I never want to see a chair again, but yeah, I'm ok."


	4. Chapter 4

In spite of his protests, Gibbs sent Tony home to get some sleep after he had fed him a sandwich and some chips. At Gibbs' request, the team was restricted to the Navy Yard until Monday, so there was no need for any of them to worry about having to go out on a call. They could rest and, thanks to the dinner they were all "ordered" to attend on Friday night at Gibbs' house, regroup.

Only partly to her relief, Ducky had given Abby a clean bill of health. It meant that she could finally get out of bed, but it also meant that it was time to face the consequences for her actions. Friday dawned about as gloomy as she felt as she put her feet on the floor. She wished she could just skip right to dinnertime and avoid the storm that was coming. Gibbs had been quiet and gentle while she was sick, but she knew that he was furious with her and that she was about to find out just how angry he really was.

She hadn't seen Tony since the morning before when they had shared her breakfast. She knew Gibbs had laid into him pretty badly, but since they hadn't talked, she didn't know _how_ badly. After a shower, she steeled herself and headed down to the kitchen to start what was bound to be a truly horrible day.

"Morning, Gibbs," she mumbled toward the man seated at the table with a cup of coffee.

He looked up at her, but didn't answer right away. After a moment, he pointed to the chair next to him and waited for her to sit down. "You disobeyed me, Abby," he said flatly. She studied her hands. "Why?"

Her head popped up. His face mirrored the sadness of his voice. "I…I just…oh Gibbs," she suddenly sobbed. "I shouldn't have…I never thought…I'm so sorry…everything I put you through…I'm sorry." Tears streamed down her face.

Gibbs sat unmoved and watched her cry. There would be time for comfort and forgiveness, but not yet. He knew that if he caved now, he would never be able to punish her – and he _had_ to punish her. Like Tony had said… When she'd gotten herself under control, he leaned forward and looked at her. "Let's get this taken care of," he said quietly.

She nodded and slowly stood up. "I want what Tony got," she said bravely.

"No," Gibbs answered.

"Gibbs please. He never would have gotten in trouble if it weren't for me."

"Go upstairs," Gibbs ordered, ignoring her argument. To his relief, she obeyed. He went downstairs to retrieve the paddle, having debated most of the night about what to do. "_He never would have gotten in trouble if it weren't for me."_ It was true. This whole thing had been more Abby's fault than Tony's. Reluctantly, still holding the paddle, he picked up the strap and went upstairs.

Soon, Abby was bent over the bed, her pants at her knees. As usual when she was expecting a severe spanking, she had put on thong underwear after her shower. Gibbs hated that she did that – personally preferring to trade some of the impact of the punishment for her modesty – but knowing that it was her choice, he let it go. After a brief moment, he set the paddle to work delivering the physical manifestation of his fear and anger to her backside. The spanking was long and Abby sobbed throughout it. He stopped after a while and Abby started to push herself up for a hug.

"Not yet," he said, his hand still on her back. "You were right," he explained, "Tony would not have gotten in trouble if it hadn't been for you." He picked up the strap and her eyes followed it as far as they could. "This is what I spanked Tony with yesterday. I swore I would never use it on you, or any other woman for that matter, but this is a special case and I think you deserve it."

He then delivered three lashes with the strap, each one slightly lower than the last. They weren't nearly as hard as the lashes Tony had received, but there was no doubt in Gibbs' mind that they hurt – especially on skin that had just been paddled. As soon as he'd delivered the last one, he dropped the strap on the bed and pulled Abby up into a firm hug, holding her tightly as she cried the pain away.

"Ok, it's over," he whispered against her head. "It's all over. I forgive you."

Half an hour later, Gibbs looked up from the boat at the sound of footsteps on the basement stairs. Abby had pulled her hair into pigtails and had put on some makeup. In fact, except for her careful movements, there was no indication that she had recently taken a long, hard spanking. He smiled kindly at her as she walked toward him and opened his arms. She snuggled into his chest as he held her for a while, breathing in the smell of his deodorant and sawdust.

"Hungry?" he asked. He felt her nod against him. "Let's go get some lunch then."

* * * * *

That evening, the house was abuzz with activity. Ziva, Tim, Ducky, and even Jenny and Jimmy arrived for dinner and set about preparing the food and the table. Abby had hugged every last one of them tightly and thanked them for helping to find her.

"I didn't really do anything," Jimmy argued, almost sadly.

"You were there with me in spirit," Abby answered, and hugged him again. He grinned broadly and hugged her back.

Over his shoulder, Abby saw Tony come through the front door. She released Jimmy and walked out of the kitchen into the entry. He looked unusually shy and unsure of himself. Wordlessly, Abby pulled him into a hug and he returned it, resting his chin on the top of her head.

After a few moments, Abby pushed him away and looked at him – studying his face for any sign of distress. Then, "He really used that strap on you for your _whole_ punishment?"

Tony looked at her, his eyes wide. He looked over her head and saw Gibbs standing in the living room watching them. Then he pushed Abby away and launched himself at Gibbs.

"You said you wouldn't!" he yelled.

"Tony, stop!" Abby cried and five heads popped up in the kitchen.

Gibbs grabbed Tony's arm and pulled him out the front door to the porch, Abby following quickly behind. Once the door was shut to eavesdroppers, Gibbs turned Tony around to face him. "I would never do anything to really hurt her and you know it," Gibbs growled at Tony. "I would never do anything to really hurt _you_!" Tony backed down and Gibbs looked at Abby for a second before turning back to Tony. "Yes, I used it on her. But not the way I used it on you. I wouldn't do that."

Tony looked at Abby, waiting for her to confirm what their boss was saying. "Tony, it's ok. I'm ok."

"But why…" Tony asked, looking back and forth between them.

"It was my fault you got in trouble in the first place. And I told him that," Abby explained. "He only hit me three times with it."

Tony relaxed and backed off some more. "I'm sorry, Boss," he said quietly.

Gibbs moved to him and put his hand gently on the back of Tony's head. "It's ok. You were just doing your job." He looked from Tony to Abby and back again, smiled and went back into the house.

Tony sat down on the top step and Abby quickly joined him. He put his arm around her and pulled her close. "Are you ok?"

"It still hurts a little to sit if I'm not careful, but I'm fine. You?"

"About the same." They sat quietly looking out at the darkened street. "What do you think he meant by that?" Tony asked after a while. "I was just doing my job?"

Abby laughed. "Tony, you're like my big brother. A big brother's job is to protect his little sister. And you, Anthony DiNozzo, are _very_ good at your job."

A proud smile slowly spread across Tony's face. Then he kissed the top of her head, untangled himself and stood up. "Come on, Sis. Let's go get some food."

Back in the house, Tony walked straight to Gibbs in the kitchen and shook his hand. Gibbs smiled fondly at him, pulled him into a hug and whispered into his ear. Tony smiled too as Gibbs released him. A few seconds later, Tony grabbed a carrot off the cutting board in front of Ziva and popped it in his mouth. He then bounced over to Tim and poked him in the arm as Tim tried to pour drinks into glasses.

Gibbs rolled his eyes at Tony's antics and breathed a sigh of relief. Peace had returned to his kingdom and all was well.


End file.
